lets talk tents...

[MontyVeda]

I saw this inflatable geodesic dome tent which, although very expensive (in my book), and probably a bit weighty with a non too attractive pack size for touring, it does look interesting.

My current tent is cheap and cheerful Highlander Glen Orchy at £35...
it's most cheery aspect is its two doors which are a godsend at 6am midsummer ... no more being forced out of the tent by unbearable heat just open the doors and get a lovely through draft .

But... it's lacking in headroom (95cm at the apex), and lacks a porch, and pitches inner first so i wouldn't like to pitch it in the rain. If it was 10cm larger in each direction, it'd be ideal for me... and if it pitched outer first it'd be nigh on perfect.

I keep toying with the idea of making it larger by putting it on longer poles, getting a seamstress type to help me make the inner a bit higher by adding 10cm more material all the way around its circumference, and then adding a bit of a 'skirt' to the outer... which lead on to thinking about making one from scratch. Everything needed is cheapish and easy to source, and bits could be salvaged from existing tents.

So firstly... has anybody fettled their tent to make it bigger, smaller, added storage pockets, made it easier to pitch or more usable in any way? Or has anybody actually done the unthinkable and actually designed and built their own tent?

And... any other tents out there that look as bonkers as the inflatable geodesic dome tent above? (of course the standard pop-up festival tent is bonkers, so we'll take that as read)

 

[Profpointy]

well you can (almost) get a Hilleberg for that sort of money, so it's a choice between the best quality tents on the market or (most likely) complete crap

 

[mmmmartin]

That thing is heavy, expensive and will surely fail in high winds and heavy rain. And it will take a lot longer to put up than a simple tent where you just push tent poles through sleeves. It looks like a load of rubbish to me. Avoid. Stick with what you have used before amd if that is no good, go to decathlon and buy a bigger, but heavier, tent..

 

[goody]

I did think of making my own tent using the bike with the front wheel removed for the support frame one end and the removed wheel for the other. I think I saw something like it somewhere but can't remember where. The tent I have does me though just a cheapie from millets (under £20) so far done served me well on a LEJOG and a trip to Paris

 

[Bodhbh]

I don't know how common the inflatable tents are, but Vango do family sized versions too:

http://www.vango.co.uk/vango-airbeam/kinetic-600.html

Not sure how stable they are, but at least in storms they'll bend rather than break. Me and the OH ended up with a regular 6-man Vango for weekends away (car camping)...couldn't really justify double the price for the Airbeam tents. Although it's nagging me slightly, as we tent to meet up late on a Friday, have to be packed by midday Sunday, and the blow up and forget 5min pitch time starts to look very attractive.

 

[bikepacker]

I did think of making my own tent using the bike with the front wheel removed for the support frame one end and the removed wheel for the other. I think I saw something like it somewhere but can't remember where. The tent I have does me though just a cheapie from millets (under £20) so far done served me well on a LEJOG and a trip to Paris

Do you mean this one? http://www.topeak.com/products/Tent/Bikamper

 

[aces_up1504]

I don't know how common the inflatable tents are, but Vango do family sized versions too:

http://www.vango.co.uk/vango-airbeam/kinetic-600.html

Not sure how stable they are, but at least in storms they'll bend rather than break. Me and the OH ended up with a regular 6-man Vango for weekends away (car camping)...couldn't really justify double the price for the Airbeam tents. Although it's nagging me slightly, as we tent to meet up late on a Friday, have to be packed by midday Sunday, and the blow up and forget 5min pitch time starts to look very attractive.

I was chatting to a couple who had one of these and the days before we arrived they had some very windy weather and told me it had stood up very well.

Although it might be a 5 minute inflate time, you still have put all the pegs down/ guy lines etc, so still takes time and seemed no quicker when i saw them taking it down.

Still looks pretty cool but they are expensive!

 

[MontyVeda]

Do you mean this one? http://www.topeak.com/products/Tent/Bikamper

in the great scheme of things... that is nuts... I'd like to see the runners up of the 2005 RedDot Design Awards!

 

[goody]

Do you mean this one? http://www.topeak.com/products/Tent/Bikamper

Might be that one but that doesn't seem any smaller (packed) or much lighter than my millets one, and it costs 6 times as much!

 

[Gravity Aided]

Just what I need, a tent that takes my bicycle out of commission, does not cover my bike, and has room enough for my dog to sleep in there, alone.

 

[iLB]

Any tips for setting up an inner first pitch tent in the rain? Apart from do it fast.

 

[Saluki]

in the great scheme of things... that is nuts... I'd like to see the runners up of the 2005 RedDot Design Awards!

Where is the door bit then as there seems to be bits of bike in the way at either end. There is no way that I could squeeze my backside past those forks and into the tent if the door is at the front. Why doesn't the bike fall over?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I saw this inflatable geodesic dome tent which, although very expensive (in my book), and probably a bit weighty with a non too attractive pack size for touring, it does look interesting.

My current tent is cheap and cheerful Highlander Glen Orchy at £35...
it's most cheery aspect is its two doors which are a godsend at 6am midsummer ... no more being forced out of the tent by unbearable heat just open the doors and get a lovely through draft .

But... it's lacking in headroom (95cm at the apex), and lacks a porch, and pitches inner first so i wouldn't like to pitch it in the rain. If it was 10cm larger in each direction, it'd be ideal for me... and if it pitched outer first it'd be nigh on perfect.

I keep toying with the idea of making it larger by putting it on longer poles, getting a seamstress type to help me make the inner a bit higher by adding 10cm more material all the way around its circumference, and then adding a bit of a 'skirt' to the outer... which lead on to thinking about making one from scratch. Everything needed is cheapish and easy to source, and bits could be salvaged from existing tents.

So firstly... has anybody fettled their tent to make it bigger, smaller, added storage pockets, made it easier to pitch or more usable in any way? Or has anybody actually done the unthinkable and actually designed and built their own tent?

And... any other tents out there that look as bonkers as the inflatable geodesic dome tent above? (of course the standard pop-up festival tent is bonkers, so we'll take that as read)

That is a Heimplanet tent in the picture. I have one, is a brilliant tent for weekend use, goes up in less than a minute, not sure it is suitable for carrying on a bike as it is a bit bulky.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Where is the door bit then as there seems to be bits of bike in the way at either end. There is no way that I could squeeze my backside past those forks and into the tent if the door is at the front. Why doesn't the bike fall over?

The door is on the right side, according to Topeak

 

[Cycleops]

Do you mean this one? http://www.topeak.com/products/Tent/Bikamper

I have sneaking suspicion that an awful lot of Bikampers will soon be on the market for rock bottom prices!